Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-10-08
A Man with Electric Fingers.

maker employed at henslngton ship
yard, has the wonderful power Of pro-
ducing electric sparks by rubbing his
fingers. saverne is little, swarthY fel-
low, about forty years old, with bushy
head Of black hair, keen blue eyes-very
rare among his countrymenzan and very
small hands. His motions prove that he
is excessively nervous, and his senses OF
hearing, sight, and smell, as he assured
a reporter of the Daily Neacs yesterday,
are unusually acute. His parents still
live on farm in Belgium, near Brussels,
and he is the youngest of family OF
eleven children.
"I know not how do it," he said last
evening, as the reporter saw sparks shoot
from Saverne's fingers. The cabinet
maker rubbed his finger tips rapidly up
and down upon his trousers. Then, hold
ing his hands out with the fingers widely
extended, jets of tiny yellow flames, or
long sparks, shot out. They seemed pro
PEELED by some unseen force ten or twelve
inches into the air, when they vanished.
The right hand appeared more charged
with electricity, if the sparks are cleo
trio, than the left The lamp in saverne's
front room was put out so that the sparks
might be seen in all their brilliancy. II
was wonderful sight. Again and agair
did the bushy- headed Belgian rub his
fingers and hold them out while tiny
showers Of bright sparks darted out as if
from toy fireworks.
Il was not always So" said Saverne,
lighting the lamp and his black pipe,
filed with villainous tobacco at the same
time "When | had been sick ten years
ago it was said ! would die. l lay SO
weak one night in my fathers house
when there came up a storm. SucE
thunder and lightning never knew be
fore. End my body had such queer sen
sations. While lay, covered up with
bedclothes, my mother sat holding her
face in her hands by my side, and
seemed TO feel thousand needles prick
ing my limbs and chest and the soles of
my feet. 1t was not so painful, for queer
thrills came with every prick, and when
the thunder rolled away and the rain
stopped Irose up, leaned back, and put
out my hand to take that of my moth
er's. My eyes were closed, but I heard
her cry, 'Antonr
"'WhatP I gasped weakly.
"'Your hand
81 looked at it. The one nearest to
her. 1t was all afamc. | was terrified.
My cry brought my father and sisters to
the room. They looked at me in horror.
| took my other hand from the clothes
to rub the right Sparks shot from the
fingers of the left. Soon they died
away, but have only to rub my hands as
you have seen and the lights come"
Saverne told of the hardships brought
upon him by his singular faculty. The
neighboring peasants in Belgium avoided
him and told awful stories of his being
in league with the devil. Men would
not hire him to plow or in harvest time.
His own family chung to him, but the
farm was small and he came to this coun-
try five years ago. Here he learned the
cabinet -making trade and got employ
mcnt at finishing ship interiors. But
when his companions saw his faculty or
infirmity they treated him coldly. His
ignorant neighbors in schleswig street
regard him as possessed OF an evil spirit.
Savernes electric fingers are the curse Of
his existence. PHILADELPHIA Press
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